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jazzy_daveMason Currey "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" (Knopf)
In this book, author Mason Currey gathers together descriptions of successful artists' self-reported work habits, mostly taken from published sources such as biographies and magazine interviews. The "artists" Currey profiles are a high-browed group that includes painters, writers, composers, and scientists, among others; there are no rock musicians or pop culture icons here. Each individual has his or her own habits, but, as a group, they tend to be routine-oriented. If there is one lesson that can be derived from the artists' experiences, it is this: setting aside time each day for creative work is a more productive approach than waiting for inspiration to strike.
What intrigued me was their sensitivity to privacy and not wanting to keep diaries or to be quoted by family members. Yet their desire was to teach and share their great gifts with the world. Indeed, they have and we are so enriched to review how they achieved their greatness in these writings. Take your time with this one because there are so many treasures to discover here. My only disappointment was that the contents were not alphabetized but you can easily pick up anywhere and find out about musicians, artists, philosophers and scientists.
The most important thing I read was this quote by writer Bernard Malamud:
There's no one way - there's too much drivel about this subject. You're who you are, not Fitzgerald or Thomas Wolfe. You write by sitting down and writing. There's no particular time or place - you suit yourself, your nature. How one works, assuming he's disciplined, doesn't matter. If he or she is not disciplined, no sympathetic magic will help. The trick is to make time - not steal it - and produce the fiction. If the stories come, you get them written, you're on the right track. Eventually everyone learns his or her own best way. The real mystery to crack is you.
In this book, author Mason Currey gathers together descriptions of successful artists' self-reported work habits, mostly taken from published sources such as biographies and magazine interviews. The "artists" Currey profiles are a high-browed group that includes painters, writers, composers, and scientists, among others; there are no rock musicians or pop culture icons here. Each individual has his or her own habits, but, as a group, they tend to be routine-oriented. If there is one lesson that can be derived from the artists' experiences, it is this: setting aside time each day for creative work is a more productive approach than waiting for inspiration to strike.
What intrigued me was their sensitivity to privacy and not wanting to keep diaries or to be quoted by family members. Yet their desire was to teach and share their great gifts with the world. Indeed, they have and we are so enriched to review how they achieved their greatness in these writings. Take your time with this one because there are so many treasures to discover here. My only disappointment was that the contents were not alphabetized but you can easily pick up anywhere and find out about musicians, artists, philosophers and scientists.
The most important thing I read was this quote by writer Bernard Malamud:
There's no one way - there's too much drivel about this subject. You're who you are, not Fitzgerald or Thomas Wolfe. You write by sitting down and writing. There's no particular time or place - you suit yourself, your nature. How one works, assuming he's disciplined, doesn't matter. If he or she is not disciplined, no sympathetic magic will help. The trick is to make time - not steal it - and produce the fiction. If the stories come, you get them written, you're on the right track. Eventually everyone learns his or her own best way. The real mystery to crack is you.
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